Some listeners will feel Kasabian has lost something with their latest release. But listen closer to their back catalogue and soon you realise they never had it. What “it” is in this instance is lyrical quality, technical skill or instrumental merit. Happenings is a clear-cut case of the band being in too deep into their frivolous and aimless sound. The result is frivolous and aimless songs for those who recognise the name, not the noise. Like Kaiser Chiefs earlier this year, Kasabian has bet on being a TikTok band. Pull the listener in with short, clippable songs which will fit just the right beat and tone of fit checks and road trips. Yet they miss the crucial point of those songs – which are just happenstance in their fitting online presence. To pursue virality is to look the fool. Kasabian has looked the fool for some time, but Happenings is the crowning of the jester.
Serge Pizzorno and the rest of the band push into alternative dance but have beats per minute which do not lend themselves to movement. These are the short, noisy accompaniments of background music for when you are stuck in traffic. The CD player has eaten your homemade compilation tape of Two Door Cinema Club and Oasis tracks, and so it is off to Radio X to pray for Club Foot. Grow up. Happenings is far removed from the few qualities the band had. This has nothing to do with the absence of Tom Meighan, the disgraced songwriter is still out there. Cracks in Kasabian began to show at the inception and were paved over again and again. Happenings have burst the band with these jolly, empty shells of light music. Darkest Lullaby sounds traditionally indie and bereft of consequence. A lonely and shallow journey.
As is the rest of Happenings. Call still lingers as an obnoxious and empty track but wait until you hear How Far Will You Go. Experiments in pushing the patience of their listeners, Kasabian has decided heavy guitar work is all they need to provide. It sounds like a gas leak has affected this one, with cowbell additions and a vague attempt at being an electrified dance-punk band clear. Kasabian is hollow. It is over as quickly as it began. The problem with making your album solely to expand into TikTok influencers is no song is given room to grow as a piece of dependable or interesting art. Happenings is filler in a discography made up solely of padding.
Almost a year after Algorithms was released and the problems Kasabian suffered on their first single are prevalent still. A meandering and emotionless collection of light dance-punk tracks which dare to call themselves dance-worthy or punk-oriented. You cannot clasp hands on Sky TV gameshows and crown yourselves the kings of indie. It is easy to see through Kasabian with this one and it shines a light through the transparent emptiness of their other works. G.O.A.T. is a cringe-inducing bit of self-reflection. The band see themselves as the greatest of all time, but history will reduce them to one-hit wonders who did nothing more than line the walls of sparsely populated clubs. Happenings will not do that. The “kings of indie” are no more.
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